Nicole Kidman conquers the Australian Outback

Nicole Kidman as Sarah Ashley and Hugh Jackman as Drover...

...in Baz Luhrmann's epic drama Australia (2008).

Nicole with movie son Nullah.

Australia, 1939: Lady Sarah Ashley tries to bring back her husband to England, only to find him murdered and their farm in danger of bankruptcy. She forms an alliance with the unconventional Drover (Hugh Jackman *yieeks*) to bring their cattle herd to Darwin in time. Together with the Aborigine child Nullah, they survive several adventures and grow to be a family. One day Nullah gets caught by the police and is brought by force to an orphanage on a small island to "integrate" him into the white society. Sarah tries to retrieve him, just to face the city of Darwin being attacked by Japanese army forces at the beginning of the Second World War...will they ever be together again?

Baz Luhrmann stated, that they filmed six different endings - I am not going to spoiler which one they finally chose. Australia is by far one of my favourite countries. I read many books that describe the landscape, the Aborigines and the life of early farmers there. I think the movie captured the atmosphere very well and moreover, with Nicole and Hugh they aimed for Australian actors as well.
Nicole Kidman really impressed me with her performance in this movie. In the beginning, she is the cold English lady of noble birth who struggles with the demands of the raw outback. Later, she develops into a kind and caring woman, who strives to protect her farm and the people she loves. I admit, that the movie has its lenghts, but the amazing sets and scenes are worth your time! I nearly cried my eyes out - it kind of gets to you quickly. It also reminds me from the theme of movies like "Gone with the Wind" (1939) or "Out of Africa" (Jenseits von Afrika, 1985), both movies I highly appreciated. If you are not convinced yet: The film won the Oscar for the costumes - totally deserved! Watch it as soon as its in free TV or buy the DVD!



Love,

photos via allmoviephoto.com, filmstarts.de

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